Sheet-delivery mechanism for printing-presses and other machines.



'R. MIEHLE. S/HEET DELIVERY MEGHANISM FOB PRINTING PRESSBS AND OTHER MACHINES.

APBLIOATION FILED NOV, 20, 1903. I f 99 1,002. Patented May 2, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. MIEHLE. -SHEET DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND OTHER MAGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1903. ,4

. Patented May 2, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented May 2, 1911.-

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

MS 7 MW 33 @3 @v w @319 5 $3 rs; a w w 5 A io mulnw 019 96 l R. MIEHLB. SHEET DELIVERYMEGHANI SM FOE PRINTING PRESSES AND OTHER MACHINES.

'raas rantr FREE noBERrMInHLnor cmcneo, ILLINOIS ASSIGLJOR or ONE-HALF T MIEn E reintrme rnnss & mannrnc'runme COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, aicon'romeron or rumors.

SHEET-DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR, PRINTING-PRESSES AND QTHER MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that .I, ROBERT ,MI'EHLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, .in the county of 'Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Delivery Mecha nlsms for Printing-Presses and other Ma- 01111183, of which the following is a full,

.clear, and exact specification.

, 11 5 treated, in which the sheet is inverted or I turned over upon the table; and the invention has for its object to providean improved and""co1npact form of a delivery mechanism of the described "character, especially adapted to run or operate at a very high rate of speed, as for example Where aplied'to a sin le im ression sheetrotar Y press. v

Wlth these ends in view my lnvention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination and arrangement 6 of parts by which the said objects and certain other objectshereinafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with refererence to the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed, out in the claims. In the said drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rotary cylinder printing press 'to which the invention is applied. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of the sheet delivery mechanism proper with some of the cooperating parts of the printing press. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail plan view of one of the links of a chain employed in the 1n- 40 vention, showing the manner of journaling a roller therein. Fig. {is a side elevation thereof, partly broken away. Fig. 5. is a vertical longitudinal'section thereof. Fig. 6 is a similar/section with the parts in a difierent position and taken in a different plane from Fig. 5, and Fig. '2' is the same section showing the. parts in the act of dropping the sheet uponvthe table.

1 is a feed board or table, 2 the cylinder driven by gear 2 from usual pinion 2 on the driveshaft and 5 the inking apparatus, all of the ordinary or any. suitable construe-- tion usual on rotary cylinder printing presses. The main shaft 6 of cylinder 2.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed November'20, 1903. serial no. 181,904.

Patented May 2, 19H

drives a gear 7, which meshes with, a gear 8. and this in turn revolves suitable gripper-s 9 which ineet the grippers 3 and receive the sheet therefrom and deliver it to the side of the revolving grippers 10 mounted upon and revolving around a shaft 11, which latter also carries a gear-wheel 12 whiclrmeshes with and derives motion from the gear 8, and on the shaft 11 are also mounted a numher of tape drums or wheels 13 over which run bands or tapes 14, the tapes 14: being also supported by and running over one or more rollers 15.

Mounted over the tape wheels or drums'l3 is a pressure roller 16, which-is adapted at certain times during'the operation to pressupon the tapes 14 so as tocause the sheet, which is shown at 17, to travel upwardly onto the tapes 14 whenldelivered by the grippers 10 with its upper edge between said tapes and the roller 16, the tapes and said roller 16 thus serving to advance the sheet toward the right under a set vof upperfingers18, and overv a set of lower fingers 19,

which serve-to hold the sheet flat and in po-.

sition. The grippers 3 are actuated by the mechanism usually provided forsuch purpose on machines of this character, and the grippers 9, 10 may be actuated by the same,

character of mechanism, or by any other suitable mechanism, but the mechanism shown for actuating these grippers 9;, 10 con sists of the devices which are-shown in con-.

nection with the upper set of grippers l0, and a description of which Iwill sufiice also for the grippers 9. This mechanism consists of a rocker shaft 20, to which the grippers 9, or 10 are secured, and to which. is also secured a rocker arm or lever 21, to each end of which is pivoted the usualfspringactuating device 22, which serves to close the grippers when not otherwise restraoned, and in the other end of whiclris journaleda roller 23, which rests on a cam 24 hav ng form and arrangement as to. allow the grip-,

pers to close and remain closed while they cam 24 of course being fixed with relation to the shaft 11, around which'thegrippers 1O revolve and the same gripper actuating mechanism being used for the grippers 9,

the cam 24, which corresponds thereto, but

cutaway places or depressions25, ofnsuc'hw G the roller to revolve in harmony which is not necessary to iilustrate in connection therewith, is simii...rly fixed with relation to the shaft 26 around which the grippers 9 revolve and on which the gear 8 is mounted.

Secured to or formed on the main frame 27 of the printing press is an extension frame comprising two horizontal portions, 28, 29, arranged substantially parallel, as shown in Fig. 2, and two upright portions or standards 30, 31, which together with standards 27 of the main frame serve to sustain the horizontal portions 28, 29 and to also support a piling table 32 which receives the sheets from the delivery mechanism. Extending across the inner ends of horizontal. frame members 28, 29, is a shaft 38, upon which, adjacent to frame members 28, 29, are loosely mounted two sprocket or chain wheels 34, 85, while at the opposite ends of the members 28, 29, are journaled two similar sprocket or chain wheels 36, 37, but these latter are mounted on short or stud shafts 38, 89, respectively, which do not extend across the space between the members 28, 29. Arranged on and traveling over the sprockets 34, 36, is a chain belt 40, and arranged on and traveling over the sprockets 35, 37 is a similar chainbelt 41. 42am belt tightening devices of a well known form and mode of opcraion for takingup the slack in these belts 40, 41, when necessary, and the inner sides of the frame members 28, 29, are provided with inwardly projecting flanges 43, 433, and these flanges 43, 43, serve for supporting the upper and lower folds respectively of the belts 40, 41. The two chain belts 4'0, 41, are for the purpose, of carrying a- ,cro'ss bar or sheet smoothing member, which is shown in the form of a roller 44, and extends outward the space bQtWVGGIl't-ht) two' belts 40, 41, and travels with such belts in such a manner as to engage the under side of the sheet 17 andturn it upside down, or

reverse it, while the forward edge of the sheet is being pulled downwardly over the roller 44 by suitable grippers 45, in the manner better illustrated. in Fig. (3.

In order that the action of the bar 44 against the under side of the sheet may be in conformity with the direction of movement ofthe sheet, and therefore serve to assist the sheetin its travel rather than retard it by frictional contact, such bar 44 is-rnade as aforesaid in the form of a roller which is rotatable in the direction of travel of the sheet bycontact with a bearer'or horizontal bar 46,-which is arranged at one end of the roller 44 along the inner side of belt .40 and provided with a leather surface, or other suitable bearing surface, 47, for engagement with the under side of roller 44 as the lat ter travels with the chain, thereby causing with the movement of the sheet 17 as the sheet and;

the roller proceed together, and consequently serve to invert the sheet and turn it endover end as its forward edge is held by the grip pers 45 and the roller 44 proceeds the length ofthe belts 40, 41, while engaging the under surface of the sheet. The grippers 45 are of course provided with some suitable mechanism for causing them to engage. the sheet at the'proper time as it emerges from the ends of the supporting fingers 19, and to drive or rotate such grippers at such a rate of speed thatthe roller 44 may travel from its positionshown in Fig.- 5, or any other suitable position, tothe left oft-he point where the grippers 45 engage the sheet, to the point at the opposite endsof the belts 40, 41, as shown in Fig. 7, where the sheet is completely inverted and readv to fall upon the table 32-, mechanism of suitable form be,- ing also provided for causingthe pressure roller 16, to release its grip upon the sheet when the grippers 45? take possession of it, because when the smoothing bar or. roller 44- engages under the sheet and pulls it forward the rear end of the sheet travels at a greater rate of speed than the tapes 14." The mechanism .for accomplishing these movements and resultswill now be explained.

Suflice it to say that the grippers 45 are opened'a'nd closed by any well known mech-' anism usually employed for this purpose, such, for example, as that already described for operating-the grippers 9, 10, and which comprises a spring actuated device" 48 engaging one end-of a lever or rocker shaft 49, which is secured to'the rocker shaft 50, which carries and operates the grippers 45, the shaft 50 being journaled in suitable brackets 51 secured to the shaft 33 and revolving therewith. On the other end of lever 49 is mounted ana-nti-friction roller 52 which rides upon a cam 53 so shaped as to compress the spring 48 and throw the grippers 45 open when they arrive at their lowerposition, as indicated in Fig. 7, or at the point where the sheet has been completely inverted by the action of the roller 44 and is ready to drop upon table 32, and to hold them open until they arrive at the position indicated in Fig. 3, where the forward v end of the sheet 17 is projected beyond the fingers 19 and is ready to be received by such grippers 45. The earn 53 is fixed against rotation with the grippers by any suitable means, such as a bracket .54, secured by a bolt or other means 55 to the inner side of a boss 56 or on. the inner side of frame member 29. Cooperating with each one of the grippers-45 is what might be termed the stationary or fixed jaw 57 of such gripper, serving as a support for the sheet while it is being pinched by the movable jaw 45 of the grippers, and these jaws 57 are formed on curved arms 58, whose upper edges are so rounded as to form an asv easy surface for the sheet to. reston while it is-beingpulled downwardly in the man-.-

ner shown 'in Fig. 6, by the grippers 45.

These arms 58 are curved around one side of and rigidly secured to the shaft 33 by means of screws or bolts 59, so that they may be removed, togetherwith the arms 51 and grippers 45, if it should be desired to do so, and in order that they may be more rigid, and thus removed as a whole, their ends opposite the jaws 57 are rigidly connected together by a rod 60 and pin 61, it

being understood that the shaft 33, arms comes contiguous to the usual stop bars or gages 62 arranged at the end of table 32.

Thesprockets 34, 35, are provided with gear wheels 63,64, rigidly secured to or formed thereon, but loose on the shaft 33, and these gear wheels 63, 64 engage with pinions 65,

66, respectively, and aredriven thereby, the pinions 65, 66, being mounted-and secured unon and driven by a shaft 76 which derives motion from a pinion 68 on the'outer end of the shaft 67 meshing with a large gear 12, which is fixed to shaft 11, the gear 12 I derivingmotion, as before explained, from the gear 8, or other suitable connection with the cylinder of the press. By this train of gearing the sprockets 34, are driven at a higher rate of speed than shaft 38, or'jat least at a higher rate of speed than that at which the shaft and grippers revolve throughout a portionof the revolution, the

speed of revolution of such shaft and grippers being differential, or slower at one time than at another as a result of the employment of any vsuitable difierential speed mechanism, such, aselliptical gears 7 2, 73, connected. in any suitable way with the shaft 33 and. with the operating mechanism of the press through theintermediary of suitable. instrumentalities.v These gears '72, 73- are shown as intermeshing with each other and gear 7-2 is mounted upon and rigidly secured to-shaft 33:- and gear73 is loosely mounted upon a short or stud shaft 74,, upon the lat- I ten ofwhichdsjournaled a large gear wheel 75,; which is secured tojand, revolves the elliptical gear 73-,sbothigears'73, 75 being loose-'onithe. said stud shaft 74 and theygear 75 being in mesh with a smaller gear or pinionf7 6 which isfixed togear '12 by hub 77 and which imparts motion to the gear 7 5- from gear"1-2,'which is secured to shaft 11, and consequently, when: gear 12 1s rowsheet delivery mechanisms.

tated motion is simultaneously imparted to the shaft 33 through the intermediary of gears 76, 75, 73 and 72, and to the sprocket wheels 34,.35, through the intermediary of pinion 68, shaft 67, pinions 65, 66 and gears 63, 64, but at a continuous or uniform rate of speed, while the motion of the shaft 33 and grippers 45 mounted thereon is differential, the speed being highest when the elliptical gears 72, 73 are in the position shown in Fig. 4, where the grippers 45 have obtained possession of the sheet, and slowest where the elliptical gears-have made a half rotation, toward which p'ointthe speed of the grippers 45 gradually diminishes until:

they arrive at their minimum speed, there they open to allow the sheet to drop upon the table 32. From this point the speed of the grippers 45 gradually increases until they arrive at the point where they are to receive the sheet, where they are openand the sheet is forced into their grasp by the tapes 14 and roller, or rollers, 16, each of the grippers 45 being provided at its extremity with a stop 78 in the form of a small '9 angle-iron secured to the under side there-' of for preventing the sheet from being "pushed under the gripper beyond a certain extent. "When the grippers 45 catch the sheet itis otherwise released from the'pres- 5 sure of the roller 16, as before intimated, and at the same time the guide fingers 18 are raised outof contact therewith. This movement of the roller 16 and fingers 18 may be accomplished by acam 79 secured to shaft 1 I1 and serving to deflect an arm 80 which carries at one end an anti-friction roller 81 hearing. against cam 79, whlle its other end is secured to a rocker shaft 82wh1ch carries arms 83 supporting a rod 84, upon which the fingers 18 are secured, and these arms 83 also carry the roller 16, so that, when the dwell of cam 79 arrives under the roller 81, the roller 16 will descend upon the tapes 14 and cause the tapes topinch and advance v the sheet, but when the major-diameter of the cam 7 9 reaches and. deflects the roller 81' the sheet is released by the roller. 16, and thevfingers-18 simultaneously elevated so as to allow the smoothing roller 44 to draw the 7 sheet forward.

The sheet inverting roller 44 may be sup: ported and journaled upon the chains 40,41, in any suitable way, such, for example, as by extending its journals 85 into'the hollowi pins 86 which hold the'links of the chain toi gether, these pins being preferablyfconstituted or formed on one side ofthelinkand passing through the block and otherside of the link, as shown in Fig. 3, but any other lz suitable construction may be'employedi I Y Vertical screws 91 operatively connected to the cross shaft 92 are shown for adjusting the elevation of the table 32, as usual with By the means described it will be seen that if the sheet be delivered or fed by the feeding devices 14:, 16, or by any other means, with. the last printed or treated side up, to thedelivery mechanism, it will be delivered upon the table 32 with such last printed or treated side down, the roller or bar 44 thereby avoiding the side last printed or treated during the delivery operation while at the same time serving as a positively acting means for engaging and inverting the sheet during the time the forward end of the sheet is held by the grippers 45. By being thus engaged by the roller at one point and held by the grippers 45 at the end, the entire sheet, less the small portion which laps over the roller 44, is held in substantially a horizontal position while the roller 44 is completing its outward travel, and while the sheet rests at one end upon the fingers 19, these, together with the roller 44 serve to hold it in substantially a horizontal position.

Having thus described my invention, what I .claim as new therein and desire to secure Letters Patent is z.-

1. A sheehdeliver mechanism,- eomprising in combination ,means for engaging and holding the advance edge of the sheet, means for positively supporting the sheet in substantially a horizontal position and means movableback and forth in a.non-circular path'of travel for engaging and-in verting the sheet while thus held and supported. i

2. A sheet delivery mechanism, comprising in combination means for printing or treating the sheet, means for conducting the sheet away from said printing or treating means, treated side up, means for holding the advance edge of the sheet and means movable past said holding means and in the direction of movement of the sheet for engaging the untreated side of the sheetand inverting it.

3. A sheet deliverymechanism, comprisingin combination means for printing or treating the sheet, means for conducting the sheet away from said printing or treating means, treated side up, means movable at as great a rate of speed as the sheet for engaging and holding the advance edge thereof,

and means movable past said holding means for engaging and inverting the sheet while thus held.

4. A sheet delivery mechanism, comprising in combination means for holding the advance edge of the sheet and means for engaging the sheet while thus held and deflecting it past said holding means, said deflecting means being movable around said holding engaging the sheet while thus held and de tion for. engaging and inverting the sheet while thus held. 7 I

7. A sheet dellvery mechanism, compr1s-"80 mg in combination means for holding one edge of the sheet, a receiving table or surface, and means movable in a substantially straight course over said holding means and across said table for engaging and inverting- 5 the sheet.

S. A sheet delivery mechanism, comprising in combination means for holding one edge of the sheet, a sheetsmoothing means and traveling flexible carrying means for moving said sheet smoothing means against and deflecting, and thereby inverting the sheet.

'9. A sheet delivery mechanism, comprising in eombinationfmeans for holding one 9 edge of the sheet, a sheet smoothing means, and a continuous flexible carrying means for moving said sheet smoothing means against and inverting the sheet.

10. A sheet delivery mechanism, compris- 100 ing in combination means for holding one edge of the sheet, a sheet smoothing means,

a flexible carrying means encompassing said holding means for moving said sheet smoothing means against and inverting the sheet.

sheet, meansfor moving said holding means at a differential rate of speed, decreasing toward the position where the sheet is released, and .means for engaging and deflecting the sheet while thus held.

13. A sheet deliverymechanism, comprising in combination ,means for holding one edge of the sheet, means for gengagingand deflecting, and thereby inverting the sheet, while thus held, and a continuously moving belt; carrying said. deflecting means.

let. A sheet delivery mechanism, comprising in combination means for holding one edge of the sheet, means for engaging. andtially the same'rate of speed as said feeding means and in the same direction. for engaging and holding one edge of the sheet, and a positive means movable in a non-circular path ofdelivery past'said holding means for engaging the sheet and deflecting it in a direction away from said feeding means.

16. A sheet delivery mechanism, comprising in combination two belts, a revolving means for engaging and holding one edge'. of the sheet, (inferential-speed mechanism for revolving the last said means, -means for driving said belts a greater travel thanthe distance traveled bysai d holding means, and means carried by said belts for engaging and inverting the sheet while held by said holding means.

17. A sheet delivery mechanism, comprising in combination a movable gripper for receiving and engaging the sheet, a stop carried by said gripper for limiting the movement of the sheet with relation to the gripper, and means movable past the gripper for engaging and inverting the sheet,

18. A sheet delivery mechanism comprising in combination the means for printing or treating the sheet, means for conducting the sheet away from said printing or treating means treated side up, sheet smoothing means for engaging against the other side of the sheet and invertin the same, and means for engaging and holding the advance edge oi the sheet while being thus inverted, the

space above the line of movement of said inverting means being unobstructed whereby the upper side of the sheet will be free from contact while acted on by said smoothing means.

19. A sheet delivery mechanism, compris: ing in combination meansfor'engaging during the delivery operation and holding the porting the entire sheet in substantially a horizontal position, and means movable in a continuous non circular line of travel for engaging and inverting the sheet while thus held and supported:

20. In a sheet delivery mechanism, the

combination of means for vcarrying a sheet forward, independent means for seizing the leading edge of the sheet, and means .fOL'S moving the seizing means out of the way of the means for advancingthe sheet whereby the front of the sheet will be formed into a loop with one end held by the seizing means so that. the forward movement of,the means for advancing the sheet will turn the sheet over ROBERT MIEHLE.

l/Vitnesses:

F. A. HOPKINS, LOUIS B. ERWIN.

'50 advance end of the sheet, means for sup-- 

